About the Book

Book: Leading Ladies: Discover Your God-Grown Strategy for Success

Authors: Amber Weigand-Buckley & Lisa Burris Burns

Genre: Christian Leadership and Religious Leadership

Release Date: May 25, 2023

SISTERS, IT’S TIME TO GET DOWN TO BUSINESS!

Find out how to step up to God’s calling as these daring women redefine what leadership looks like. Authentic and heartfelt stories of world-changing women leaders of every hue, background, and job description, teach us by example how to battle to find our passion, connect with our gifts, and maintain forward-focused momentum in every season of life.

Join authors Amber Weigand-Buckley and Lisa Burris Burns — along with Babbie Mason, Candace Payne, Jacquelyn Marushka, Martha Bolton, Katy Nichole, Kymberlie Joye, and so many more powerhouse women–as they explore leadership purpose, and living a life that counts.

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I received a complimentary copy of this book and all opinions given are my own and not an endorsement of all authors’ opinions.

Authors’ Interview

1. Why did you want to become an author?
Lisa: I have been a wordy book girl all my life. I love vocabulary and spelling. But in all honesty I don’t think I ever imagined co-authoring a book! I was doing freelance articles, and in that process writing just started to make sense. Amber pulled me into doing magazine articles and the next thing I knew we were on this adventure together. It’s been a huge blessing.
Amber: I grew up in the magazine world, and writing a book wasn't initially a dream. However, I felt a strategic moment guided by God, leading me to share my perspective through the book, "Leading Ladies." It became an opportunity to help others change their self-perception.

2. What was the most challenging part of the writing process for you and why?
Lisa: The book gave us a huge opportunity to ghost-write for some amazing women with fantastic stories. Trying to maintain their voice from our interviews with them was time consuming and yet so important. We were stretched in a way that I can honestly say grew us. So it was a great bonus in just becoming a better communicator and writer.
Amber: The most challenging part was creating a cohesive feel with numerous contributors and conducting interviews for ghostwriting. The lack of a clear outline made it come together organically, and maintaining a powerful yet non-repetitive narrative was a significant challenge.

3. What did your research process look like for this book?
Amber: The research involved over 35 women through intensive interviews, including writers and non-writers. Zoom sessions with my co-author ensured a powerful and poignant book without repetition, a process that proved to be demanding yet rewarding.
Lisa: Yes! What Amber said. So many loooooonnnggg Zoom sessions, but so very worth it.

4. What was something new you learned while writing this book?
Lisa: I’ve always been the one that comes in and fluffs the flower arrangement one last time, or pushes for the final polish on the vocalists solo. While writing the book I discovered that I really love the tweaking process involved in editing thoughts!

5. What audience did you have in mind when writing this book?
Amber: Initially, the book was meant for women like me—those questioning their purpose, feeling lost, or equating their worth with accomplishments. God guided me to speak to women and remind them of their inherent value and purpose.

6. How did you balance keeping your book informative yet engaging as a non-fiction?
Lisa: It’s pretty safe to say that Amber and I are creatives to our core, so we were actively looking to “up the sparkle” in this area! The book was intentionally broken up by chapter content, pause & reflect questions, and an applicable closing prayer. There are letters of encouragement, and added quote pages with amazing graphic design. When it comes to formatting and design, Amber is your girl! I think it all worked together beautifully. It keeps the reader engaged and allows them to bite off as much as they want at the time.

7. Did you have to step out of your comfort zone to write this book? If so, how?
Lisa: For sure the amount of pages we were going to complete was a big step out of our comfort zone! While I’ve had the opportunity to do several freelance writing projects that were much smaller ventures, the book did bring initial feelings that were daunting.
Amber: Despite my challenges with ADHD, the need to write 60,000 words pushed me out of my comfort zone. Surprisingly, the book's structure, with bite-sized stories, catered to non-readers. Each chapter being short and easily digestible became a benefit during the process.

8. How did you celebrate when you completed your book?
I think the initial sigh of relief when Amber pushed “send” on the final manuscript was probably heard around the world! Seriously though, we hit the ground running to attend the National Religious Broadcasters Convenvention in Orlando, Florida. We were able to promote the book there and had some downtime to put our feet up poolside in the evenings.

9. Do you have a favorite drink or snack for when you’re writing?
Lisa: Coffee in the morning always makes my day start happily!
Amber: While writing, my co-author and I frequented a coffee shop called Blooms. Although it's now closed, they had amazing pastries. My go-to drink at Blooms was an Irish cream breve. Of course, I celebrate most of my milestones with coffee—getting out of bed for example.

10. What message do you hope readers take away from your book?
Amber: I hope women realize their worth and unique contributions. The book aims to convey that everyone, including leaders, faces struggles, and success should be measured by personal fulfillment rather than societal standards.

About the Authors

Meet Amber

Amber Weigand-Buckley is an author, speaker, multi-award-winning magazine editor, and art director, Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (awsa.com) marketing director, Bold Vision Books’ creative director, and owner of #barefacedcreativemedia (barefacedcreativemedia.com). The Springfield, Missouri native navigates bipolar and anxiety disorder while embracing her best life. At its peak, her mental illness almost caused her to take her own life. Amber is a mental health advocate who knows that a diagnosis does not disqualify you from God’s leadership call.Amber, whose vision birthed Leading Ladies: Discover Your God-Grown Strategy for Success, is energized by helping world-changing women of all hues, backgrounds, and walks of life to find their wings, hone their skills, and take their God-call to the next level.

She has two grown daughters, Saffron, Imogen, and one teen Penelope, with Philip, her British hubby of 28 years, two Great Pyrenees pups—Stanley and Stuart, and a zoo of exotic pets.

Meet Lisa

The diagnosis of an autoimmune disorder initially shattered LISA BURRIS BURNS’ ministry dreams as a vocalist and worship leader. Despite this, God opened opportunities for her journey and abilities to expand beyond what she ever anticipated for herself — to acting, stage performance, set design, and writing. As a vocal and performance coach with K.C. Superstar, a Kansas City-based competition likened to “American Idol,” she is passionate about fine-tuning artists’ creative expressions. Lisa thrives on the artistic process, especially everything yarn and crafty.

This avid Kansas City Chiefs fan lives with her husband, Randy, in Blue Springs, Missouri. The Burns have served in marriage and family ministry since 1988. They have six fantastic children, two amazing son-in-loves, and five adorable granddaughters.

More from Amber and Lisa

Are you ready to discover your God-given gifts and move in forward in all that He’s called you to be? Leading Ladies: Discover Your God-Grown Strategy for Success will help you identify your unique leadership abilities.

For a limited time, get the inspirational song “Lead Me On” recorded by Michaelah Weaver for FREE when your register as a Leading Ladies VIP at leadingladies.life.

Let “Lead Me On” be your empowering anthem as you read Leading Ladies and learn to boldly walk in your purpose. Download the song and book excerpt now at leadingladies.life!